i liked king kong, including the long buildup before they reach the island. for me it was naomi watts' performance they really sold the film, and it wouldn't have worked if you didn't spend some time getting to know ann darrow before she was thrust into turmoil. a few of the action sequences once they reached the island probably could have been trimmed, but i enjoyed the spectacle.

i've seen a lot of films more than once, but they all had something on offer that i found exceptional, even if it was only like one scene or one aspect. then there are the films (few in number) that i can watch over and over again because watching them feels like breathing them in and having them fill every inch of your being. that sort of sounds like getting ****ed. i guess that's appropriate, though: i like films that **** me.

i can dig that. it's just a rare thing that a film affects me that strongly, and i've found that repeat viewings can rob a film of its "magic". that said, i've realized that ten is way too low a number. i've watched all of the star wars films, the lotr films, and the first three indiana jones films more than once, and that's 12 right there. the actual number is probably more like 40, but still it's a rare thing.

armen, the part of my post that you bolded was specifically in reference to the stuff that happened on the island. but i actually didn't mind the pond scene, again because i thought naomi watts somehow made it believable. i don't think her performance in that film gets its due.

i liked king kong, including the long buildup before they reach the island. for me it was naomi watts' performance they really sold the film, and it wouldn't have worked if you didn't spend some time getting to know ann darrow before she was thrust into turmoil. a few of the action sequences once they reached the island probably could have been trimmed, but i enjoyed the spectacle.

So I'm getting The Desolation of Smaug via Netflix and I'm FINALLY going to see it for the first time. Anyone want to give me a "previously on The Hobbit" synopis of "An Unexpected Journey"? For what I can recall from memory...- The Dwarfs recruit Bilbo. The main dwarf Oakenshield? battles the one armed ugly white bad guy and almost dies, but survives, and the ugly white bad guy gets away.- There is something going on with a Necromancer. I know there is a Brown wizard and I don't remember if he's still around or not.- Bilbo saved the day by turning some trolls to stone, and he got the Ring.

Am I forgetting anything important that I should know before watching movie #2?

i can dig that. it's just a rare thing that a film affects me that strongly, and i've found that repeat viewings can rob a film of its "magic".

some are, some aren't. for me, donnie darko wuz robbed, blade runner is still magical.

i mean if i were to watch blade runner every fuggin day, then yeah. maybe it's like ejaculation - the more often you do it, the less carthartic your climax. you gotta let that magic "recharge".

Which version of Blade Runner do you prefer? I bought the "Director's Cut" the other day, watched it and...it just left me cold. Like half the story was not told. The theatrical version with full bored Harrison Ford narration just seems to click better for me.

the director's cut was the first version i ever saw so that one feels more "right" to me. when i watched the theatrical version and the narration came in, i was like "shut up, idiot. just shut your mouth!" but he wouldn't, so it ended up being a pretty unsatisfying experience.

i felt i understood the story just fine without the narration, and i don't remember any of it adding any particular detail of importance.

it's a bit like when that donnie darko director's cut came out with all that extra junk about aliens and the rules of time travel and PTHHHHHHH. it just lards up the movie with crap. i still prefer my interpretation of what happens/what the film means to his (richard kelly).

So I watched Smaug (1 hr 20 min Wednesday night and the other 1 hr 20 min last night). It was just ok. The barrel sequence was really well done. I liked the Gimli easter egg. The necromancer and Gandolf battle was very cool. I wonder how Gandolf the White would have done against him. I wasn't shocked on his true identity of the necromancer as it was fairly obvious through the dialogue of the film. I think that's why I thought the film was just ok, there weren't really any surprises. I wonder if I’ll enjoy it more if I watch them back to back to back.